Rob Mabbett, engagement director at BetterChange, has called out what he sees as the “ignorance and prejudice” of those in charge of allocating the proceeds of the Statutory Levy, noting the closure of several existing gambling harm charities is “a damning indictment” of the commissioning bodies’ inefficiency.
Rob Mabbett pulled no punches in his assessment of the state of RET funding now the Statutory Levy has come into effect, highlighting the “ignorance and prejudice” that has seen public health bodies demand complete disengagement with the industry.
Speaking to Coinslot shortly after his appearance on an SR panel session at the Bacta Convention last week, the engagement director at player protection and compliance specialist BetterChange cited the number of established charities that have been forced to close their doors, and the potential for further loss of data, expertise and support services.
“The public health bodies who are now in charge of the levy purse strings have made it clear on numerous occasions that third party providers looking to access levy funding should cut all ties with the industry,” said Mabbett.
“It is my opinion that we all have a part to play in preventing gambling harms and also that no voice should be excluded from that collective effort. Sadly, the ignorance and prejudice from those in charge of the levy could lead to a huge amount of expertise in the research, prevention and treatment of harm being lost.”
Noting the fate of charities such as GamCare’s Safer Gambling arm, and lived experience group Alerts, which have all closed or are in the process of winding down, Mabbett said organisations “are running out of time to secure funding for the coming year.”
“With so much more money being raised through the levy as was raised previously – estimated to be circa 40 percent more – it is a damning indictment of a system that has yet to spend a penny and is currently sitting on circa £100m since October.”
It’s an argument that has been pressed hard by all the trade bodies, with the GBG’s Peter Hannibal going so far as to write to Gambling Harm APPG chair Sir Iain Duncan Smith to alert him to the problem and invite the former Tory leader to join the industry in lobbying and forcing those holding tightly on to those purse strings to release the funds to care charities immediately.
But Mabbett has gone even further, and in not holding back has certainly opened the debate to accountability.
“The commissioning bodies were appointed in April and we are still yet to see any framework or governance to provide any assurance to those organisations who are running out of time,” he stated. “It begs the question – is this gross incompetence or a deliberate starvation of established third sector organisations to make way for a new order?”
Mabbett’s full observations appear in detail later into this edition of Coinslot, but you don’t need to look hard for indignation, plus a heavy dose of anger, than some of the comments conveyed from those in the industry on this very subject.
One figure called for the third sector charities to name and shame the individuals who have been threatening them to stop working with gambling businesses or else their funding will be cut.
“These people bullying the third sector should be sacked and publicly held to account,” this attendee at the Bacta Convention said. “Shame on these parasites – they certainly don’t have any problem taking a bloody good wage from money generated by the gambling industry for themselves. The government and the Gambling Commission need to identify this bunch of irresponsible hypocrites and investigate whether their activities are legal.”
Interesting. Legal talk.
Nah, surely not: the commissioning bodies haven’t got the balls to investigate their own or those they’ve appointed to determine who gets Levy funds?
Although maybe they should. It’s not as if these people are Santa deciding who’s been naughty or nice at Christmas.
That said, though, the Commission did have a right pop at Allwyn about the National Lottery, so maybe they will?
As far as many stakeholders are aware, working with the industry on SR does not disqualify a charity from receiving funds from the Statutory Levy. And if indeed it is being considered negatively in applications, should those individuals be investigated for conducting illegal practices or at least gross misconduct?
It’s not as if these people are hiding in the shadows. The charities threatened know who they are; the commissioning bodies know who the individuals are; the Commission and the DCMS know it’s going on but seem to turn a blind eye to the bullying tactics being carried out.
And also, let’s not forget the real crime here that money is not flowing
So, is Rob Mabbett correct to ask the question – “is this gross incompetence?”
Absolutely. And should GamCom and the DCMS do something about it.
You’d think so wouldn’t you.
We need an answer as to why the fiscal floodgates aren’t opening to the third sector – after all, the money has been collected from the industry?
And why aren’t they going after the individuals and organisations threatening charities to stop working with the industry?
It’s not as if they don’t have the power to punish them. They do it to the industry enough.
Originally published on Coinslot on December 8, 2025. Republished with permission.